Beneath the Mask
by Fiiaa
Summary: Melanie left Gotham City to study abroad. Now she is back working for an up and coming blog which tells the truth about Gotham and it's most influent people. Not everyone is excited about that and it makes Melanie question if she made the right decision to come back to a city which has been corrupted by its authorities.


Hello dear Fanfic readers,

I'm currently really into Batman because of a school project involving experience marketing around the new Batman game Arkham Knight so now I'm so obsessed with Batman and I just had to write a fanfic.

Reviews are always welcome so I can improve my story.

\- Fiiaa

**Chapter one – Breaking Rules.**

* * *

The offer to start a blog with four friends to tell the true story of Gotham City was an opportunity I couldn't resist. The thrill of chasing the truth and confronting the public with it was indescribable. Sitting behind my laptop at our small office downtown, Debbie rolled her desk chair toward me and showed me the forum she was on.

"Something major is happening at Arkham asylum right now, Mel. The responses online are insane, might be an interesting first crime story you can write?"

I knew Nick always liked to chase the crime stories, but he was currently in the outskirts of Gotham interviewing some teens who claimed they had seen Batman during his chase of some cat burglars. This story was too great to pass on though, so this once I'd check it out.

"I'm heading out." I turned to look at one of our editors, "Toss me the camera, Jace." I caught the small camera with ease and dashed out, not wanting to miss the story at Arkham.

The drive toward my destination was eventful, there were police cars everywhere so I had a feeling I wouldn't be able to get the scoop without breaking some rules here.  
I parked my car a few blocks away and tried to pass the cops who were keeping reporters away from the scene. Luck was on my side today when I noticed an amazing sports car trying to pass the crowd. Whoever that was received everyone's attention making it easier for me to pass the cops and enter the building without the cops noticing since they had to keep the crowd away from the car as the driver tried to get out of it. I had no time to admire whoever owned that freaking amazing car and quickly slipped into the building. I researched for my phone, turning on the recorder and hiding my phone back in my pocket. You never knew who you might run into in places like these.

"Hey, you-"

Okay, so luck was not on my side today because the cops inside noticed me. I couldn't leave without knowing what was going on here, the reporters outside were yelling about someone escaping Arkham. I wanted to know who and why it was always so easy for the people in Arkham to escape this place. Did the cops just not care enough? Were the people in here far more intelligent than we realized? I wanted to know and I knew our readers and viewers also wanted to know the truth about Arkham and their escapees.  
So getting caught by the cops the minute I walked in was not going to work for me. I ran through the hallways trying to outsmart them by entering the 'keep out' wing of the building. I didn't know where to look because whatever wing I ran into was definitely not meant to be seen by the public. They kept the most terrifying criminals who they viewed as mentally unstable in here. I was definitely not supposed to be here. The reporter in me wanted to start shooting, but when I raised right hand the camera was no longer there.

"You're looking for this?"

Shivers ran down my spine as that deep voice asked me a question. Whoever that voice belonged to stole my camera from me. I spun around ready to accuse that man of being a thief, but was greeted by the sight of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Of course Bruce Wayne was the freaking driver of that amazing car outside. It could only be him.

"I am." I tried to keep my voice even, "Can I have it back?" I extended my hand so he could hand me my camera, but he kept onto it.

"How about I'll give you this back when the police escorts you out of the building? I'm sure you're aware that you're not supposed to be here right now."

"Because of the keep out sign?"

He looked amused by my question, his brown eyes smoldering which made it that much harder for me to keep my brain functioning properly.

"Not because of the sign, Miss. A very dangerous man escaped a few hours ago, it's not safe for you to be here right now." He nodded to the cop beside him, "This man will escort you out and will give you the camera back once you're out of the building, safe and sound." He handed my camera to the cop who was heading toward me.

I didn't want to leave though, this was the first story I was writing for Gotham's Diary. Leaving the building without useful information was not an option.

"Can you at least tell me who the dangerous man is?" I asked, pulling my arm back forcefully when the cop tried to drag me away from the forbidden wing and that charming billionaire who seemed to be too calm for a situation like this, "Please."

"Let's go, Miss." The persistent cop managed to drag me away from Bruce Wayne, but I wasn't leaving without a fight so I resisted all the way toward the door, "Miss, please cooperate. I don't want to hurt you."

"Mr. Wayne!"

The amusement in his eyes was almost palpable now. He stared at me for what felt like an entirety, maybe finding me so pathetic at this point that he decided he could throw me a bone.

"What newspaper do you work for?" His question made the persistent cop stop in his tracks.

"I work for a blog, Daily Gotham. We chase the truth, not caring about the consequences. We publish items about Gotham City the public deserves to know."

"Ah, I can see you don't care about the consequences." He still sounded amused, "Unfortunately there is nothing for you to uncover here. The joker escaped and the authorities are doing everything in their power to hunt him down and bring him back before he causes any damage."

"Mr. Wayne do you honestly think that the Joker could escape without any help? Patients escaping Arkham seems like a repeated event-"

I couldn't ask more because the cop pushed me out of the door, now forcefully dragging me to the exit. I had seen enough though, the minute I started questioning Arkham's capability of handling its patients Bruce's look became sour. He definitely didn't like where I was going with this.  
The cop practically threw me out of the building, but I didn't care. I had a good beginning of the story and there was one man's quote I needed right now before I published it. He had to be around, but if I approached him now, he'd definitely give me the 'no comment' crap so I'd approach him later.  
She went back to Daily Gotham's office and did some research on her laptop, listening to the story Nick was writing about Batman and his cat burglar's chase.

"Isn't it insane that the guy is helping Gotham's police to fight crime, yet they still want him behind bars? Crime is actually going down with him around. Sometimes it's hard to understand their logic."

I peeked around my screen, gazing at Nick who was still complaining about Gotham's authorities. On some level I agreed with them, since the Batman did break a few laws, but Nick's complaints about the authorities made more sense. Gotham needed a dark knight since the criminals were far too intelligent and dangerous in this city.

"So what did the teens say?"

Nick stopped his furious typing to look at me, "They were raving on and on about how epic it was to witness Batman stop the burglars. One girl even went as far as calling him out of this world. It was hard to stay professional when they described him to be some kind of ghost who shows up, helps people with inhuman strength and evaporates into thin air." He shook his head, "Jace is editing the interview right now, so I hope to publish it tonight. What about yours? Debbie mentioned you have an epic item which you're researching right now."

"The Joker managed to escape from Arkham and luck was probably on my side today, because I ran into Bruce Wayne while I trespassed. He took my camera from me to make sure I didn't record anything, but-" I grabbed my phone off my desk and waved it at Nick, "Little did he know that I recorded everything that was being said with my phone."

"Can you actually hear what is being said?" Nick's eyes glittered with curiosity.

"It's clear enough."

I let Nick hear the conversation I had with Bruce. The billionaire didn't let anything go when I questioned Arkham's capability, but he did give a nice quote about the Joker. Now I just needed to find Commissioner Gordon to more or less force him to say something about the Joker's escape. That would probably lead to nothing, but I had to try.

"He doesn't respond when you asked about the asylum." Nick looked up, "That is interesting to investigate. Do you mind if I dig a little deeper?"

"Of course not, go right ahead-"

"Was that Bruce Wayne's voice I heard?" Debbie asked, practically jumping onto my lap while she pressed play again to listen to what I recorded, "I cannot believe this girl met Bruce Wayne in person!" She narrowed her eyes on me, "So how was it?"

"How was what?" I asked, pushing her off me.

She took a seat on the empty desk chair beside me, "How was Bruce Wayne? Is he as hot in person as the pictures make people believe he is?"

I could definitely see the appeal. Women flocked around Bruce as if it was a drug to be around him and meeting him in person made me understand their fascination a lot better. However there was something about him that didn't feel right. The calmness around him when he talked to me at the asylum just didn't set right with me. The stressful situation didn't affect him in a bit, while the cop who escorted him through the building seemed so stressed he aged twenty years in just a few minutes. Debbie wouldn't understand my reasoning though, so I wouldn't bring it up. She was one of those women who were just blinded by Bruce's charm, looks and wealth.

"His car is pretty hot."

Nick snorted, shaking his head at me while Debbie just looked unpleased by my answer. She muttered something about me being blind as she headed to Jace again to help him with the editing.

"Did you just call a car hot?"

"Have you seen it, she is just freaking hot."

Nick threw his head back and laughed, his throaty laugh making me feel a lot less tense as well. The stress in the office was palpable so Nick trying to lighten the mood was very welcome.

"I'm sure Bruce Wayne would love to hear you raving about his car and not his billions." He turned his laptop toward me, "Gordon just released a statement about the Joker. As far as I can tell he is currently at the station."

That was my cue to pack up and stalk the man. The cop at Arkham asylum had warned me to stay out of trouble, but that was a warning I could not listen to today. Closing my laptop screen I placed it in my bag and rushed out the door, if I hurried I might even get the chance to publish this story before midnight.

* * *

Fear took over when I stood in front of the police station and glanced at the building. I knew I could just walk in and ask if Gordon was in, but somehow my feet just didn't want to move. I walked around the building trying to walk off the anxious feeling that suddenly took over. I stopped in my tracks trying to be as quiet as possible to hear the muffled voices ahead. It sounded like two men having a conversation, but I feared that when I approached them they'd hear me and stop the conversation. The words asylum and damage were what caught my attention so I stayed where I was trying to listen to their conversation.

"They're out looking for him, but we both know how clever he can be."

"He needs to be captured before he causes any real damages."

"We're doing everything we can, I'll contact you if I have a strong lead on his whereabouts."

My breath got caught in my throat when I noticed the dark figure who was talking to a cop, I think. I had never met the Batman in person, but from the blurry footage people uploaded on the internet and the items on the news channels I was pretty sure my eyes were not playing a trick on me. That voice though, it was so alluring. I wanted to get a better look at the person who Batman was talking to, but when I started to tiptoe toward them Batman somehow evaporated into thin air, as the teens who Nick interviewed would call it.  
My eyes almost popped out when I realized Commissioner Gordon was the guy who Batman was sharing information with. Every item I had seen so far always pressed how the commissioner was on the hunt for Batman, yet I just witnessed them being civil with each other. Now that was a story Gotham should know. I had no evidence to back that story up though. I had not expected to stumble upon this scene, so no pocket recording this time. Damn it! I had to approach this from a different angle. Turning the phone recorder on I placed it in my pocket again and approached Gordon.

"Commissioner Gordon?"

Me calling his name definitely startled him, but he quickly composed himself, gazing at me with that intense stern look. He almost made me feel like I was the one having a secret meeting with Gotham's vigilante.

"Yes, can I help you, Miss?"

"From the conversation I just overheard I can assume the whereabouts of the Joker is still unknown. Is that why you've called in the help of Batman?"

Anger definitely seeped into his eyes as he closed the distance between us, "I don't know who you are, but I have to ask you to turn around and walk away, Miss."

"So you're not denying the fact that you're asking Batman for help with this case?"

"I'm not denying or confirming anything here, Miss. It's time for you to leave." He placed his hand on my back, wanting to guide me around the building again, "Don't hover around dark alleys like these, the streets are not safe at night. You should know that." His eyes landed on the camera I was holding.

It was odd how Gordon was stern yet nice at the same time. He didn't give me much, but it was enough to work with for now. We could at least let the people know that Batman was helping to capture the Joker and place him back in Arkham asylum where he belonged.

* * *

I had emailed my story to Nick and Jace so they could tweak it a little before putting it online. I knew everything I discovered today was because of pure luck though. Tomorrow I'd go back on the streets and try to discover more about the Joker. I had not been around when he made his first appearance, but I'd definitely be here long enough to unravel the mystery around him.  
Nick was researching Arkham asylum thoroughly, hopefully he'd find the answers we were all looking for. Were there also corrupt people working at the asylum which was funded by Bruce Wayne?  
So far my decision to come back to Gotham was not something I regretted. Life was exciting here and I was sure this was only the beginning of my adventure in Gotham.


End file.
